Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

A Bird and an Egg Cup

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This morning, I heard the carolina wren singing and I opened the blinds to see him standing in front of the trailer. After Don and I watched him sing, both of us so happy that he’s back, we noticed that both  of them were on site.

I grabbed my big girl camera to take some shots with my telephoto lens. I haven’t used it in so long that the battery quickly died – but I managed to get a couple of shots.

If you look closely, you’ll see he’s got some nest-making material hanging from his beak.

Peeking out from inside his reclaimed home.

We are over-the-moon that they are back again. Spring. Carolina wrens. A nest. Shoulders dropping. Happy.

I also got something special in the mail yesterday. It was a great deal on eBay. As you know, my egg cup collection is pretty big and the figurals that I love so much are harder to find these days. So I rarely buy a new cup and when I do it’s usually a more traditional egg cup. Once in a blue moon, I look at the listings on eBay. I did just that a week or two ago and I saw a lovely little Spode egg cup.

The pattern is Chelsea Bird.

I was taken by the design of the cup; that flower and the wonderful combination of spring green and a deep, rusty red. That’s a pheasant on the inside, which I’ve since discovered is the predominant feature of that Spode pattern.

But my delight quadrupled when I saw that there were two dragonflies and a bug on the inside the cup.

I think that’s a dragonfly…

Beetle? Something else?

And the other side of the exterior:

It’s quite detailed and tiny. Those special touches on the interior make it a treasure.

It was only $12.00 – a steal. Spode made this pattern from the late 1800s until 1927 or 1928. So we know it’s at least almost a hundred years old – probably older.

I really, really love it.

It’s sunny right now, but it will be chillier today. And then we have rain starting tomorrow.

I’m so glad that spring has sprung.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Sleepy Monday

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I’m going on about 4 hours of sleep today. Not a happy camper. But I don’t have to be anywhere, have no commitments, and can – hopefully – catch a nap this afternoon. I’ve had far too many work days in the past where I had to try to get through the day on very little sleep. Today is sunny and lovely and looks to be the only sunny day we’ll get this week, so I’m going to do my best to take it all in.

Every year, I aim my camera out the upstairs window and record the peepers. Then I post it on Instagram. For those of you who have never heard their sound, head over to my main IG account and give it a listen.

Don just headed off to the grocery store as we’re out of food. Whoops! Bless him.

We’re due for three days of rain this week and I welcome it. Why? Well, the obvious reason is that it will help to bring back our green grass. The other reason: I don’t have to worry about rain leaking inside the screen door anymore or inside the shed. For the first time in a long time, I can relax. It’s such a good feeling.

I found Livvy in this outfit yesterday. She heard it was the first day of spring and thought this romper would be the perfect thing to wear. I gently explained to her that though it was indeed the first day of spring, temperatures here in the Hudson Valley would only reach the low fifties and that she would need more layers of clothing.

But she looked adorable, I’ll give you that.

By the way, Olivia is my only girl with a licca body, which has skinny legs and arms. At first I was going to change it out, but I find it suits her, so it’s staying. Some collectors only collect Blythes with licca bodies. (Blythe World can be quite fascinating.)

That romper is one of the first pieces of Blythe clothing I purchased last fall. It’s from House of Blythe on Instagram.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

It’s Spring

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Early morning kitchen.

We had a thunderstorm yesterday. I like a good thunderstorm. This one was perfect. Lots of rumbles, some wind – but not too much – heavy rain, and then it was over. This morning is foggy.

We sure do lose track of the days around here. One morphs into another. There’s not a day that goes by where one of us doesn’t ask, “Is it Saturday or Sunday?” Or “I just realized it’s Saturday but it feels like a Friday.”

I can hear birdsong right now and it’s lovely. The peepers were amazing last night. I always stop at the window at the top of the stairs, open it wide, and say hello to them.

I’m reading The Lincoln Highway  and I love it. I’m not at all surprised because I was eagerly awaiting this new novel by Amor Towles, whose A Gentleman in Moscow  remains one of my favorite books of all time. I got the new book when it was first published last fall and took it to Brooklyn with me, but as you know, I barely had the time to read anything while I was there.

I’m on a mission to read the books in my TBR pile and this was next up. What a pleasure! You know that feeling when you sink into a new book by a favorite author and your shoulders drop because you know you’re in good hands? That’s how I feel about The Lincoln Highway.

I’m itching to start oil painting again but my back is still an issue, though it’s getting better. Today, I’m wondering if I can use the smaller easel and put it on my lap here in the den. That way I wouldn’t have to lean forward at the kitchen table. (I’m doing everything very carefully nowadays.) I want to paint some small studies of some of my egg cups and I could easily set them up in here.

We’ll see.

Happy first day of Spring!

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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